Monday, 22 July 2013

About a month ago, I promised to
research and post an article on the Iron Horse Trail, a historic, former rail
line that effectively joins at least two local communities (the twin cities of Kitchener-Waterloo,
ON) in Waterloo Region. Although this post is coming later than sooner, my
intent is that its message will be favourably received and that it will provoke
some thought and discussion with regard to both its heritage past and its
future potential.

It would seem that historically
speaking, we take a lot for granted. Here in the western hemisphere, ours is a
culture of choice and entitlement. I say this for a number of reasons but for
the purpose of this blog post, I want to focus primarily on notions of
connectivity, travel and collective memory in the local history of Waterloo
Region. Perhaps what is most important for this inquiry is the “as yet to be determined”
impact that these notions can and may have on a community’s perception of its
heritage (and, in turn, how it evaluates its heritage).

Photo Courtesy of Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation

Now, the Iron Horse Trail to
which I am referring is not THE Iron Horse Trail (as in, it is AN Iron Horse
Trail).....Confused?

Specifically speaking,” Iron
Horse Trails” are rail trails that have effectively been abandoned (i.e. are no
longer being used as railway lines for trains). From a heritage planning point
of view, what I particularly like about these types of trails is that they have
been adaptively re-used as recreational trails that often bypass busy urban streets
that may be crowded with cars, trucks, buses, etc. (not to mention noise and
congestion). Since most of the early rail
lines were effectively built to transect the cityscape and connect it to
another using the shortest and most efficient route possible, these trails
often pass through green belt areas that connect inner city neighbourhoods to
one another, sometimes spanning great distances that may run from one town to the
next. These iron horse trails, then, offer users a more pastoral, reflective
method of traversing their community—at their own pace that is not guided by
speed limits. For some lovely photos (and trail information) posted by Patti Kapron-Weber at http://www.century21.ca/patti.kapronweber/Blog/Iron_Horse_Trail

These trails are most commonly used by hikers, strollers (i.e. people
like me who saunter and enjoy the
sights while we walk), mountain bikers and depending on the season, skiers and
snowmobilers. In terms of built
heritage, the key here is that an iron horse trail is a former (i.e. adaptively
re-purposed) rail trail. In other words,
there is an intentional “meaning of place” (a rail line) that has changed in
purpose over time. It has been adapted and has a specific, traceable history,
over time. This is the foundation of my research and purpose in writing this
post—to uncover and share the history, heritage and meaning of the Iron Horse
Trail that connects Kitchener-Waterloo, ON before it is altered and becomes
something different......

Yes, you read that correctly.

The Iron Horse Trail is about to change its meaning of
place again as the city of Waterloo has sold some of its trail holdings (June
10, 2013) to a developer who will, following an urban planning guideline that
focuses on inner city core intensification, construct a new condo building in
the uptown core of Waterloo. 761 square metres of the Waterloo portion of the
trail that runs between Caroline and Park Streets (just south of Allen Street
West) will be diverted for the project. It
should be noted that the city’s intent is that the trail will be reconstructed between
a condo building and existing parking garage, about 50 metres south of where it
is now. For more information, see: http://www.therecord.com/news-story/3833929-iron-horse-trail-will-move-waterloo-city-council-decides/

Got Questions?

Email me: legacyheritageresources@gmail.com

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I always look forward to your comments and questions. However, if I do not have an email address for you then I cannot reply directly to you. The comments are sent to me privately before I publish them so if you include your email address I can edit it out before publishing your question. Thanks for your interest and support for the local history of Waterloo Region.

Curating Waterloo Region's Local History

Local history is an undervalued entity that is often overlooked (or ignored entirely) by historians and the world at large. I believe that this region, in particular, has a unique perspective in comparison to other Canadian settlement stories and it is my intent to sleuth out and share these accounts.

About Me

Public, Local & Social Historian--Researcher, Blogger, Educator of Local Waterloo Region Settlement History that includes the Folkways and Practices (Folk Beliefs, Folklore, Superstitions/Folk Medicine (Witchcraft) and of course, Foodways) of the Pennsylvania Germans, Mennonites & Early Black Settlers. Secondary interests include the social life, food, medicine and superstitions of Early Modern Europe (Medieval to New World Colonial).